LA County Officials Move To Echo State Water Conservation Effort

Sprinklers water the lawns of a new housing development July 28, 2005 in Hesperia, California. California's demand for water will jump by 40 percent over the next 25 years according to a study released this week by the Public Policy Institute of California. Half of all the water used by inland homeowners, where growth is booming, goes to irrigating yards, compared to one third or less in the cooler coastal regions. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

(Photo credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Officials in Los Angeles County Tuesday moved to put residents in step with California regulators regarding water wastage.

A motion introduced by Supervisor Don Knabe proposed adoption of new state emergency water conservation measures in an effort to persuade the largest and most populous county in California to cutback on water use as 80 percent of the state struggles with drought conditions.

“There’s no relief in sight other than the magic tune of a potential El Nino in the fall,” Knabe told KNX 1070’s Pete Demetriou.

LA County Officials Move To Echo State Water Conservation Effort

Knabe’s measure would only be limited to the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, he said.

The Board of Supervisors voted to put the regulations into effect by Aug. 1.

Last week, the State Water Resources Control Board voted to approve unprecedented emergency regulations that will levy fines of up to $500 against California residents for water-wasting activities including using a hose to wash a vehicle without a shut-off nozzle.

Knabe said he supports the controversial regulations.

“I just think it’s common sense at this point,” he said. “Yeah, we all like to turn on our water and yeah, we all like to do what we need to do to make our grass look green and our flowers look beautiful, but I think we need to participate and I think we need to be a player.”

Gov. Jerry Brown declared the drought a statewide emergency on Jan. 17. He has called on Californians to cut water use by 20 percent. The first six months of 2014 were the hottest on record, according to the National Weather
Service.

Mandatory water restrictions are already in place for Los Angeles, Long Beach and other Southland cities.